Eddie's Chophouse

In July 2015, when passersby on Main Street started to notice chicken and duck carcasses hung up in the front window where '''Slice of Italy''' used to be, it became clear that a new type of business had arrived in University Heights. Former UB student Eddie Liang opened Eddie's Chophouse in his old stomping grounds near the South Campus because he felt the time was ripe for Buffalonians to sample a new permutation of Chinese food, and what better spot for the big launch than in the thick of the vibrant Asian and Asian-American community gathered around the university? Eddie's is the first restaurant in Buffalo to serve ''siu mei'', or Chinese barbecue — a Cantonese culinary tradition where meat is coated in a seasoning sauce and then slowly rotisseried, bone-in, in a Chinese smoker — and your choices here are pork, duck, chicken, or spare ribs, served either over steamed white rice or as a soup with your choice of macaroni or rice or egg noodles. (If you opt for soup, further ingredients become available: steamed wontons, fish balls, and beef tripe.) A limited range of other selections are also offered, along with a wide selection of hot and cold teas to drink as well as iced mint lemonade, which might be the most popular item Eddie's serves. The pint-sized menu and spartan (if pleasant) interior are made up for by quality and value — the meat served here is fresh and bursting with flavor and comes in huge portions that make the low prices charged that much more spectacular. Eddie's also offers delivery at no charge for orders of $20 or more.